Energy secretary says US might not reach nuclear agreement with Iran

• Donald Trump visited Moscow for a "semi-routine" trip to maintain diplomatic and intelligence contacts between the United States and Russia. • Trump stated he hoped these direct communications could contribute to efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

Storm, which may make impact as soon as Monday, is third system in weeks to threaten state during hurricane seasonHawaii has declared a state of emergency as powerful Hurricane Lowell makes its way toward the islands, with the first impacts expected as soon as Monday.The storm is the third system in just over three weeks to threaten Hawaii during an active hurricane season in the central Pacific. Lowell remained a category 3 hurricane early on Sunday morning, packing winds of 125 miles per hour while moving north-west at six miles per hour. Continue reading...

The casket, grown from mycelium and hemp fibres, takes just 45 days to break down, enriching the soil in the processGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA woman has been buried in a coffin made from mushrooms in New South Wales in an eco-friendly first for Australia.Carolyn, aged in her 70s, was laid to rest on Friday by friends and family at Springwood Cemetery in the Blue Mountains. Continue reading...

Protest using 10 coffins to symbolise struggling manufacturing industry to take place in BrusselsJob losses in EU manufacturing will rapidly increase unless Brussels stops the “colonisation” of industry by Chinese component manufacturers, a leading industry trade body has warned.Eurometal predicts 300,000 job losses in manufacturing in the rest of 2026 because of expanding competition from China, which is now enjoying a record €1bn-a-day trade surplus with the bloc. Continue reading...

Exit poll shows Alternative für Deutschland on 44.5% of vote in Saxony-Anhalt after huge turnout, with votes still being countedThe populist far-right, anti-immigration Alternative für Deutschland has emerged as the winner in a crucial state election in Germany, exit polls have projected, but it remains unclear as to whether it will be able to form a government and become the first far-right party to gain power at regional or parliament level since the second world war.Initial exit polls showed the party to have secured 44.5% of the vote, decisively ahead of the Christian Democrats of the chancellor, Friedrich Merz, in a contest that was being followed across the world. Continue reading...

Legal fight continues as states begin sending out ballots for voters to vote by mail in November’s midterm electionsThe Trump administration renewed its appeal to the US supreme court on Sunday to allow restrictions on mail-in voting, after a federal judge had blocked new limits on such ballots, just ahead of November’s midterm elections.The latest filing follows a decision by US district court judge Indira Talwani on Friday to extend a court order preventing the US Postal Service (USPS) from enforcing Donald Trump’s executive order.The Associated Press contributed reporting Continue reading...

Schools and councils express financial concerns as EHCP applications surge before potential change in provision‘Powerful example’: minister looks to Essex school for blueprint to transform Send provisionSchools and councils across England are expecting the proportion of children with special needs plans to double to one in 10, with families rushing to secure support before ministers bring in changes.Headteachers have reported an “unreal” surge in applications for education, health and care plans (EHCPs) mandating support for needs or disabilities such as speech and learning difficulties, autism or ADHD. In 2025, just one in 20 school-age children had EHCPs. Continue reading...

Beijing wants banks and insurers to bolster investment in stock market as it helps to replenish cash reservesChina will inject $54bn (£40bn) into its financial sector as Beijing attempts to shore up banks and insurers in the face of faltering economic growth.A host of financial institutions said they were due to receive billions of yuan in capital from state institutions including the ministry of finance and even the company that runs the country’s tobacco monopoly. Continue reading...

Ash cloud from Anak Krakatau affects hundreds of flights and some school and fishing activitiesIndonesia halted operations at eight airports on Sunday, including from its main international hub, affecting hundreds of flights as a result of an ash cloud from the Anak Krakatau volcano.Saturday’s eruption, which produced lava and booming sounds that were heard up to 435 miles (700km) away, according to Indonesia’s geology agency, also interrupted some school activities and fishing. Continue reading...

Greens defence spokesman says ‘words are just distractions’ until government takes action‘Guilt by association’: why seven international aid workers were killed in Israeli airstrikeGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe Greens have criticised inflammatory statements from the former Israel Defense Forces officer who ordered the attack which killed Zomi Frankcom, accusing the Albanese government of weakness over its failure to halt military exports and impose new sanctions.Australian aid worker Frankcom and six of her colleagues were killed in 2024 while bringing food to the people of Gaza. Former IDF reserve colonel Nochi Mendel has said he would do “exactly the same thing” again and that those killed in the World Central Kitchen (WCK) humanitarian convoy in Gaza were “not innocent”. Continue reading...

Carmaker, which is battling Trump tariffs and Chinese competitors, faces talks with union leaders and governmentThe government has signalled that it will not invest taxpayers’ money to limit job losses at Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), after it emerged that the UK’s biggest carmaker is planning up to 4,000 redundancies.Before crunch talks on Tuesday between JLR, union leaders and government officials, the business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, said it was not his job to “intervene and run businesses”. Continue reading...